Living outside of town means that you have a septic system instead of a connection to the municipal sewage line. Your septic system consists of more than one part. There is a tank that all the wastewater flows into. That tank has two chambers in it, one for the introduction of all the wastewater, where the solids and liquids start to separate and break down. Then the dirty water moves over to the second chamber for more purification. Eventually, the water will move out of the septic tank and into field lines in the leach field. 

Field Lines

The field lines run from your septic tank and into a set of pipes. The pipes have little holes in the bottom and the sides. The water seeps out of those holes as it runs along the pipes. The pipes will be laid in a bed of gravel so that the water that seeps from the pipes can get into the ground easily. The gravel also keeps the dirt from getting into the holes and blocking them so that the water can't get out. But those aren't the only problems that you might have with your field lines. There are some signs that you should pay attention to so that you know if you do have problems. 

Mushy Ground

One sign that you are having issues with your field lines and drain field is that the ground is all mushy. That can be a sign that one of the field lines is broken and the water is all escaping the lines at once instead of seeping out the way that it should. 

Foul Smell

Another sign that you have problems with your drain field is that you smell a foul odor, like raw sewage. As the wastewater moves through your system, any smells should be caught in the tank and by the time the water gets out through the leach field, there shouldn't be anything that smells foul. You may not only have problems with your field lines and larger leach field, but problems with your septic tank as well. 

If you think that you have problems with your septic tank or drain lines, you need to call a septic tank repair company as soon as possible. The worse the problem gets, the more expensive the repairs are going to be. The septic tank company may be able to do something like rejuvenating your leach field instead of having to do extensive and expensive repairs, but you won't know until they come check out the problem. 

For more information on septic tank field line repair, contact a professional near you.